This book explores the life of owls, the enigmatic birds with their remarkable anatomy, biology, and behavior. Their hunThe world of a mysterious bird
This book explores the life of owls, the enigmatic birds with their remarkable anatomy, biology, and behavior. Their hunting skills, stealth, and sensory prowess distinguish them from all other birds. Their flight is quiet, and hunting skills are unique. Owls exist on every continent except Antarctica, and in every form one can imagine. Some owls migrate but not in a predictable pattern. Owls eat everything from insects to possums, rabbits, and young deer. The author discusses how owls communicate, court, mate, and raise their young. The book is descriptive, but the discussions are not stimulating.
Owls’ flexible necks help them to compensate for immobile, tube-like eyes. Unlike humans, birds can’t move their eyes in their sockets to look around. This is a worthwhile sacrifice for binocular vision, which helps owls to boost their depth of perception. Many species also have ears located at different heights on each side of the head allowing them to find the location of a prey. There is the housekeeping habit of eastern screech owls, which “bring live blind snakes to their nestlings, not just for food, but perhaps to keep their nests tidy and sanitary. The small snakes live alongside the young owlets, eating parasites, insect larvae and other bothersome houseguests. The nestlings with live-in blind snakes are more likely to survive and grow fifty per cent faster than broods without snakes. This is an excellent adaptation to an efficient pest control and protecting the chicks. Burrowing Owls live in underground burrows, sometimes alongside prairie dogs, and when threatened, will hiss like a cornered rattlesnake. ...more
Octopuses are invertebrates that lack skeleton, and their legs have no femur, tibia or fibula, no feet, and no toes to wigThe inner lives of octopuses
Octopuses are invertebrates that lack skeleton, and their legs have no femur, tibia or fibula, no feet, and no toes to wiggle. Instead, octopuses have a hydrostatic skeleton, combining muscular contraction and water's resistance to compression, to generate movement. The octopus genome illustrates how intelligence evolved in this animal. With its eight prehensile arms lined with suckers, camera-like eyes, elaborate repertoire of camouflage tricks and spooky intelligence, the octopus is like no other creature on Earth, which explains the evolution of their cognitive skills. The octopus’ genome is as large as a human, and they contain a greater number of protein-coding genes than Homo sapiens. One of the most remarkable gene groups is the protocadherin, which regulates the development of neurons and the short-range interactions between them. The octopus has 168 of these genes more than twice as many as mammals. This resonates with the creature’s unusually large brain and the organ’s even-stranger anatomy. Of the octopus's half a billion neurons, two-thirds spill out from its head through its arms, without the involvement of long-range fibers such as those in vertebrate spinal cords. This gives independent computing power to its arms. They have more autonomy than human arms. Each has its own miniature brain, giving it a degree of independence from the animal's central brain. On the contrary, the human’s nervous system is highly centralized, with the brain as the seat of sensory integration and other actions. They are the closest we will come to meeting an intelligent alien.
The author narrates his experience as an explorer of octopus in its natural habitats off the coasts of Alaska, Washington State, and Japan. This book does not explain the octopus’ biology or physiology but discusses from a behavior ecologist’s perspective. Octopus is a nature’s wonder, because this soft and boneless aquatic species survives with otherer formidable animals like sharks, killer whales, and eels. How do they hunt while avoiding danger in the ocean? Their anatomical structure, skills, camouflage, and a unique nervous system that matches human consciousness. ...more
Many wonderful books have been written on what migrating birds do and how they do it, but if you dig a little deeper, you wSurvival of migratory birds
Many wonderful books have been written on what migrating birds do and how they do it, but if you dig a little deeper, you will find another story that is equally fascinating. The environmental impact on the survival of migratory birds. For example, many birds seek out similar climates year-round in the Americas, they spend the summer in drier parts of North America, and the winter in drier parts of Central and South America. Recent studies suggest that we are the sixth mass extinction on this planet. Approximately 3 billion fewer birds are living in North America today than there were in 1970. This is a staggering 29 percent decline. The volume of annual bird migration to the Americas alone has dropped by 14% in just the last decade. The causes are habitat loss, impact of pesticides, collisions with human-made structures, predation by outdoor cats, and climate change.
This book focuses on how to fight the extinction of migratory birds with modern tools. The radar gathers data on migration patterns, the use of miniaturized tracking devices tracks the movements of individual bird, and the machine learning and high-volume genetic sequencing examine migration in finer detail. Instead of relying on trackers, we can now follow their journeys using information already encoded in their feathers, their blood, and their DNA (intrinsic markers). Birds’ feathers carry crucial information about where they've been and what's happening in their habitats, which can help with much-needed conservation efforts. In addition, the mercury concentrations in historical versus modern feather samples gives a sense of environmental effects. North American Breeding Bird Survey, an annual volunteer effort in which bird-watchers comb established roadside routes in spring and report what they find have been significant in understanding human impact of the habitats of migratory birds. This book is written for all readers interested in bird migration, and what one can do to minimize the extinction of birds. ...more
This is a fascinating story of the wolves that were restored to the ecosystem the American Northwest. In 1995, after years of planRewilding the wolves
This is a fascinating story of the wolves that were restored to the ecosystem the American Northwest. In 1995, after years of planning, a team of experts carefully relocated fourteen wolves from the Canadian Rockies to the Yellowstone National Park. The final result was wolves’ population grew and spread to the State of Washington. The news of their resurgence provoked reactions. For scientists, wolves represented a singular opportunity to observe, in real time, the consequences of a long-absent predator returning to an ecosystem. For activists, the return of wolves was a clarion call for conservation. For some ranchers and farmers, wolves became a prime example of government overreach, an attack on their values and way of life. For journalists, like Eli Francovich, who works for a newspaper in Spokane, Washington, this was the opportunity of a lifetime for investigative reporting.
The author was familiar with the story of Daniel Curry, a range rider who’s a job requires him to spend most of the year in the woods trying to keep wolves from killing cattle, and cattle from wandering into the mouths of wolves. The author details his experiences of working with Curry and how his efforts are balancing the wolf problem particularly in the State of Washington. The primary tension underlying the wolf wars is one that's common to all human-nonhuman relationships, the problem of coexistence. Do we have the will and wisdom to coexist with animals?
The reintroduction of wolves has fueled debates about the wolf's role in ecological rewilding and for the restoration of biodiversity. In today's fraught political climate, Eli Francovich’s captivating storytelling is peppered with fascinating insights into the human-wolf relationship....more
This is a basic manual for gardeners interested in knowing about the biology of plants. This book is by no means illuminating, nNot a definitive guide
This is a basic manual for gardeners interested in knowing about the biology of plants. This book is by no means illuminating, not very technical but offers some peripheral view of plant life. This is written for gardeners and plant enthusiasts with no college courses to their credit. You will find some basic information about seeds, flowers, roots, and leaves; like what happens to a seed after it is planted? How do plants survive? And how do they reproduce? The author has quite simple answers to complex plant processes. I did not learn anything new than what I already knew. I rated this book three stars for nice photographs, they are very professional and colorful. ...more
The last day of the dinosaurs began as any morning during the Spring season 66.043 million years ago in the Northwestern statesThe day dinosaurs died
The last day of the dinosaurs began as any morning during the Spring season 66.043 million years ago in the Northwestern states of the Unted States. Tanis is part of the heavily studied Hell Creek Formation, a group of rocks spanning four states renowned for significant fossil discoveries from the Upper Cretaceous (Cretaceous era;100.5–66 million years ago) and lower Paleocene (Paleocene era; 66-56 million years ago). Tanis is a significant site because it recorded the events 15 minutes after the impact of the giant seven-mile-wide Chicxulub asteroid in palaeobiological detail. This impact which struck the Gulf of Mexico wiped out all non-avian dinosaurs.
Tanis resides in the state of North Dakota about 2,000 miles from the impact site in the Gulf of Mexico. The globe burned with wildfires, earthquakes, tsunamis, and seismic waves ravaged life at Tanis. The life at Tanis was entombed in sediment by seismic waves that was travelling at 11,000 miles per hour. These fossils were recently discovered and first reported in New Yorker Magazine in March 2019. The fossils of sturgeon and paddlefish hold the key which had small particles stuck in their gills. These are the glass spherules of molten rock kicked out from the impact site in the Gulf of Mexico that then fell back across the planet. The Tanis fishes breathed these particles as they were thrown out of the river as the big surge dismantled and disoriented the entire ecosystem with tens of miles on the land from the river. On this Earth-shattering day, sulfur ejected by the asteroid blocked all sunlight. The atmosphere turned acidic due to sulfuric acid and the oceans became unhabitable. The planet was plunged into darkness for decades, and temperatures dropped dramatically.
The Western Interior Seaway was a large inland sea that existed from the early Late Cretaceous to earliest Paleocene, splitting the continent of North America into two landmasses, Laramidia to the west and Appalachia to the east. Tanis in North Dakota was the northern end of the seaway where the catastrophic events occurred.
The author is a well-known journalist covering the paleontological significance of the death and destruction caused on the same day of the asteroid impact. There are numerous blogs and even discussions on TV about fossil evidence on the last day of the dinosaur. This book reads effortlessly despite the lack of illustrations and photographs in this book. Parts of book material has already appeared in Smithsonian Magazine. ...more
This book explores the beneficial effects of the symbiotic fungi in the soil. Mycorrhizal fungi are microscopic organisms that partnerMycelium Running
This book explores the beneficial effects of the symbiotic fungi in the soil. Mycorrhizal fungi are microscopic organisms that partner with root systems of plants and sequester carbon in much more meaningful ways than human “carbon offsets” will ever achieve. Most of these soil fungi support plant health in elegant ways. They boost green immune function in plants and community-wide networking that forms the basis of ecosystem resiliency. The mycelium’s digestive power and its uses in the decomposition of toxic wastes and pollutants, remove pathogens from agricultural watersheds, control insect populations, and enhance the health of our forests. This book is at the intersection of social science, natural science, and humanities. The author reveals a range of things that goes in the soil of the forests that are ecologically relevant. It does not go into much biology or evolutionary issues but offers a broad range discussion about the beneficial effects of fungi. ...more
Much of discussion refers to author’s experience with trees in Europe as a caretaker of a German forest. HTree Sociology; is this science or slobber?
Much of discussion refers to author’s experience with trees in Europe as a caretaker of a German forest. He is neither an experimental biologist nor did he investigate plant intelligence in any scientific rigor. He does not stay focused; and he doesn’t engage in any serious discussion that is relevant to plant behavior, but quickly drivel into ecology and environment. The book chapters are extremely short; in fact, there are 38 chapters which facilitates the author to deviate from the hub. There is no attempt from him to connect with readers with a scientific mind but rely upon their sensibilities. Environmentalism is a very appealing subject, and this book from a former forest ranger interests a casual reader.
I did not find anything unique in this book that stands out as a good scientific argument. The author’s efforts to tell us that trees have more than life; they have social behavior akin to animals is not convincing. How did this book become a bestseller? Because this is about tree sociology, ecology, environment, forestry and interconnectedness. The author provides scientific facts in bits and pieces to to convey his beliefs that trees have consciousness and mind. ...more
Life moves fast; but the biological evolution is slow. Small anatomical changes have occurred in the last 250,000 yeClimate Effects on Human Evolution
Life moves fast; but the biological evolution is slow. Small anatomical changes have occurred in the last 250,000 years of human history, but they are insignificant and marginal. But technological advancement has significant impact on the behavioral adaptation that has progressed rapidly on evolutionary scale towards transhumanism. By the time genetic evolution that would be reflected in thickening of tooth enamel and our back-bone structure because of our diets and sedentary life styles, other non-biological events will impact the future of human beings. The artificial intelligence (AI), brain-machine interface and quantum realities would have taken over body and mind. Species of Transhumanism would have adapted to life in alien worlds such as Mars, and moons of Jupiter and Saturn.
The genus Homo, to which our species belongs, had the capacity to adjust to a variety of environmental conditions, and Homo sapiens were able to cope with a broad range of climatic conditions, hot and cold environments, arid and moist ones, and with all kinds of varying vegetation like expanding dry grasslands or thick forests. The adaptations that typify Homo Sapiens were associated with the largest oscillations in global climate: (a) hominin origins, (b) habitual bipedality, (c) first stone toolmaking and eating meat/marrow from large animals, (d) onset of long-endurance mobility, (e) onset of rapid brain enlargement, (f) expansion of symbolic expression, communication, discovering, and the ability for learning and innovation.
Environmental biologists are too hung up on the Armageddon that would be created by climatic effects of excessive fossil-fuel usage, deforestation, and the lack of clean-air acts. Environments have changed dramatically too many time in the past 3.9 billion years of life forms on this planet. Complete destruction of life occurred a few times, but life came back with vengeance and evolved successfully. What lies ahead is that technology will take over biology. Climatic effects would be bad and so is nuclear proliferation and the willingness of United States and Russia to sell nuclear technology to Islamic countries in the Middle East which would make threat of nuclear war more of a reality. This would make climatic effects due to human involvement much more dangerous than mere fossil-fuel usage. ...more
In ecology, extinction refers to termination of an organism or of a group of organisms. The moment of extStudying the Silent Extinction of Rare Plants
In ecology, extinction refers to termination of an organism or of a group of organisms. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, and the ability to breed and recover may have been lost before this point. This term is generally used with animal extinction, but there are very few ecologists who study plant extinction. In this book, environmental biologist Carlos Magdalena describes his studies across to understand how plant extinction are taking place, and how we can fix this silent extinction.
The factors contributing to their disappearance are varied and complex, but the consequences of their loss are immeasurable. The author explores the principle factors for extinction. In almost all cases changes brought about in the environment by humans; through deforestation, breaking the natural balance with the introduction non-native species of animals, and global warming.
Some of the interesting examples from this book includes; The jellyfish tree, is a critically endangered and endemic to the island of Seychelles. It has been suggested that these trees have been lost from the natural habitat of moist forests through competition with other species and climate change. Roussea simplex is native of Mauritius in Indian Ocean, where it grows in mountain forests. The flowers of Roussea produce copious amounts of nectar and are pollinated only by the blue-tailed day gecko. The fruit secretes a gelatinous substance that contains the minute seeds. The blue-tailed gecko licks up this secretion and disperses the seeds in its droppings. But a small ant introduced to Mauritius by colonists invades the flowers of Roussea and cover with clay to protect themselves. The ants sting blue-tailed day gecko from drinking the pollen and thus stopping pollination process. Trochetia boutoniana also known by its native Creole name Boucle d'Oreille is a shrub close to extinction, because the monkeys introduced into its natural habitat feed on plants blossom buds that effectively eliminated this plant species.
The book is not accompanied by illustrations or the photographs of plants becoming extinct in natural habitats. On the lesser side of science, I find the title of this book is somewhat outlandish, after all no one used this term for other renowned ecologists and environmental biologists. ...more
This is an interesting book by Bernd Heinrich, a renowned scholar that discusses interesting facts aboAnimal behavior: Migration and homing instincts
This is an interesting book by Bernd Heinrich, a renowned scholar that discusses interesting facts about animal migration and their attachments for their habitats. The book is largely focused on behavior with no discussion of genetics as it relates to the behavior, and no prior knowledge of biology is required to understand and appreciate this book.
Homemaking is practiced by animals regardless of their position in the evolutionary ladder. It is especially important for rearing young until they are ready to face challenges of the world. It is most prominently displayed among insects and birds but also in some mammals, spiders, crustaceans, fish and some reptiles. Many examples are discussed, for example, Loons in Northern Lakes fight viciously every spring for the possession of the only spot to nest on a Beaver lodge and where only one pair stays and the others must go quite far to find any place at all. Rules change when nest site is no longer arbitrary and becomes unique and valuable commodity. It may be built at a great cost and skill in which case it becomes a nuptial offering of competing males. Thus in weaverbirds and woodpeckers, males do most of the site preparation and female inspects it and chooses the best site and the male who built it. It is all the matter of costs and benefits of leaving verses staying and fighting.
What knowledge birds have that they fly nonstop all day and all night on the wing and losing significant body weight. Albatross is like sea turtles, long lived wanderers with fixed home positions. Young albatrosses fly an average distance of 84,000 miles a year and have a genetically fixed dispersal direction but always return home for breeding.
The take home message from this book is that all animals have the basic instincts for their homes just like humans. Animal behavior is also discussed on many cable programs such as; Nat Geo, Discovery channel, Science channel, etc., but it is nice to read this book because this book has lot more materials than a television show. I recommend this book to anyone interested in animal behavior. ...more
The role of viruses, bacteria and infectious diseases on human evolution
This is an excellent review of various infectious diseases that have shaped thThe role of viruses, bacteria and infectious diseases on human evolution
This is an excellent review of various infectious diseases that have shaped the history of human beings. Many cultures and the whole populations were impacted from the very beginning of our civilization or perhaps when Homo sapiens set foot on this planet. The author gives specific examples in our history and describes how diseases have played a role in the eventual determination of who we are today. One could see disease-caused human fatality as a tragedy to an individual or a family but it has long term advantage in evolution, if we apply Darwinism to human diseases. Genetic changes as a response to infectious disease makes us more resistant to infections. Such changes may also contribute to our physical characteristics, brain functions and development. The book is described in 11 chapters that include separate chapters on spread of virulent forms of bacteria and genetic resistance, origin of human disease, the decline of water supply and sewers that caused the fall of kingdoms and empires, pestilence and warfare, and emerging diseases of the future.
Many human diseases originated from animals, but not all bacteria are bad for health. The human gut provides a home for great number of bacteria. Majority of them are harmless and some are beneficial by aiding digestion, synthesis of certain vitamins, defending their habitat against more infectious forms of bacteria. Diseases like gonorrhea and syphilis (caused by bacteria), and measles, mumps, influenza (caused by viruses), and Ebola virus have evolved to become milder. Some diseases became extinct like the sweating sickness that erupted in London in 1845.
The author describes many historical facts hat makes the book even more interesting. The demise of Indus valley civilization around 1800 B.C., virtually without a trace is a great mystery and subjected many interpretations. One of them is the Aryan invasion from Europe. But the author suggests that cholera is more likely cause of human fatalities in Indus Valley. The diarrhea causing bacteria existed in India 3000 B.C to 2000 B.C., but they were present in non-virulent form, but gradually evolved into highly infectious form when drought hit the urban areas of the Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro. The local rivers were completely dried and the sewer system collapsed that may have led the spread of infections faster. This is certainly an interesting theory but genetic archeology has to answer these questions conclusively. The author also suggests that spread of malaria may be one of the main factors in the collapse of Roman Empire. After this, a decline in hygiene all over Europe resulted in the spread of diseases like typhoid, bacterial dysentery, and rotavirus all of which share diarrhea like symptoms that were spread by the contamination of water with sewer system. Early in the fifth century the Huns, led by Attila almost conquered the Roman Empire but withdrew because he and his army were apparently infected by virulent epidemic of dysentery. If this barbarian had succeeded in Rome, the history of Europe would have been different.
Cystic fibrosis mutation is common in north-western Europe, population genetics and mutation rates suggest that these mutations arose shortly after the collapse of Roman Empire when general hygiene was poor and water borne intestinal disease spread rapidly.
The history of smallpox is interesting in that the mortality rates in Asia and Europe dropped from 75% to about 20% over one thousand years illustrating that the development of genetic resistance. In 737 AD, a smallpox epidemic in Japan caused significant deaths. Measles was the Great Plague of Athens in 430 B.C. It is interesting to note that the history of humans would have been different if infectious diseases had not been present or if genetics resistance to virulence did not exist. Culturally and biologically we would have been different. ...more
An incredible journey of Ben Kilham in understanding Black Bear sociology
This is an incredible journey of author Ben Kilham who has been studying, forAn incredible journey of Ben Kilham in understanding Black Bear sociology
This is an incredible journey of author Ben Kilham who has been studying, for nearly 20 years, the wild black bears as a state-licensed researcher. His work is deemed safe, methodical and it is officially sanctioned. He had the rare ability to read nature and applied these skills to study bears. He has observed these animals closely and continuously and amassed a wealth of knowledge about the way the black bears communicate, socialize and share resources. They not only taught him their world but also allowed him to understand how humans misunderstand the animal world. The academic community uses radio collars, remote cameras and DNA testing to study animal behavior, but the author employed the simplest method in his study; just observe the bears in their own habitat and learn from them.
Black Bears have the ability to share, cooperate, judge and punish, forgive and reconcile. This study shattered the "bear myth," and suggests that they are actually social and not solitary animals; they communicate with intention, operate with a moral code, and demonstrate altruism, compassion, and empathy. Bears are intelligent creatures with cognitive skills well beyond science currently recognizes in them. Cooperation and altruism did not begin with humans. The use of symbols and expressions existed in animals and they evolved in humans. The results of this study with black bear provide an excellent model to understand primal elements of social change. Up to 900,000 black bears live in North America and millions of interactions occur between humans and bears every year, but very few results in human death. From this study, we learn that black bears are highly tolerant of humans and in rare instances where the bear become dangerous, it is only because humans create that situation. We can modify our behavior that signals good responses from our neighbors in the wilderness, says the author. I very much enjoyed reading this book and it reads effortlessly; highly recommended to everyone interested in animal behavior! ...more
Loading...
